Charlie and Cas
by ConsultingHunterOfGalifrey
Summary: She promised Dean to look after him.. Just some anti-"I'm No Angel" sad feels and angst... (started before "Slumber Party")
1. Chapter 1: The Spin-Off

Chapter One: The Spin-Off

"Thanks again, Charlie. You rock."

Charlie smiled at Dean. "I'm not denying it anytime soon." She walked off to her car, giving the Vulcan Salute. "Love you guys!" "Love you too, Charlie!" The Winchesters replied. Charlie hopped into her car.

Cas was dosing in the passenger seat, all buckled up and ready. He looked drowsy. Charlie nudged Cas. His eyes bolted open and he went for his Angel Blade. "Relax, Cas, it's just me, sweetie..." Cas put down the blade. He yawned. "You said we were going last night. It's morning..."

"Sorry. There was this whole mess that happened. Long story short: Oz is real..." Cas nodded. "The Winchesters do find trouble more than most humans... Who is Oz?" Charlie shook her head. Sam had told her Castiel wasn't well-versed in pop culture, but she hadn't expected him to be THIS in the dark. "Okay, first order of business when we get home: we are having a movie marathon. All the classics, some other great ones, the works." Cas nodded drowsily.

Charlie sighed. "It's a thirteen hour drive to Michigan. I'm still tired from yesterday and you look like you need a bed. How about we stop at a hotel and head home later?" Cas nodded. "I would like that very much, Charlie..."

~0~

They pulled over at the second hotel they found (the first was a Motel 6, and Charlie was not in the mood to sleep with one eye open and Cas's blade gripped in her hands...). Cas walked into their room and collapsed on a bed. Charlie set her bag on the other bed. "Okay, this one's mine then..."

Cas grabbed the unused pillow and clutched it tight like a teddy bear. He immediately started snoring. Charlie walked over to the sleeping man, took off his shoes, and grabbed the unused end of his bed's comforter. She pulled it over Cas.

He stirred a bit, but was still asleep. "Dean..." He mumbled in his sleep. Charlie felt a twinge of sympathy. She promised Dean she would take care of Cas. When she'd asked Dean why he couldn't keep his best friend (and possible soul mate, if you believed the subtext of the Carver Edmund books and forums...), he just grunted "It's complicated." And she didn't want to pry and ask Cas.

She took her shoes off and got into her bed, and giggled a bit. A socially awkward fallen angel living with a geeky, tech-savvy lesbian. It was like the premise of a sitcom. "Well..." She thought, "Dean and Sam are living in a bunker with a prophet, and The King of Hell trapped in their basement. This is kind of the spin-off. Charlie and Cas: Wednesdays this fall." And with that, she decided to go to sleep.

~0~

AN: I just wanted to do a little side project of fluffiness. I'm still not totally over the end of "I'm No Angel", and after the recent chapter I wrote for "The Life and Times..." kinda depressed myself, I wanted to do something fun. So I hope you enjoy! *Insert Disclaimer*


	2. Chapter 2: How To Care For Fallen Angels

They got back to Charlie's late at night. She pointed him to the guest room Well, technically it was her office, she just had a futon in there for those nights where making the trip down the hall to her actual room was too much of a Herculean effort. Cas flopped right on the mattress. He grabbed a stuffed Chewbacca that had been lying around and went to bed.

Charlie, on the other hand, got on her laptop and checked her email. There was a message from Dean:

Charlie,

Thanks for watching Cas for me. We're going through some stuff right now, and this seriously takes a load off my mind. You remember all the anti-angel warding stuff we told you? I attached pictures of the symbols just in case. Anyway, just some stuff you ought to know about Cas:

-He likes hamburgers... A lot...

-Don't let him drink

-He tends to be a bit too trusting for his own good

-Probably won't get, like, 80-90% of your references, even if it's to a classic (I know, it sucks...)

-Most importantly, DON'T let him watch porn! It... It won't end well...

Thanks again, I owe you one, this means a lot!

Dean

Charlie smiled to herself. "I ship it..." Then she looked over the list again. "Crap, now I need to lock up my hentai..."

The next morning, Cas drowsily made his way out to the kitchen. Charlie was on a tablet. "Morning! Cereal is on the counter..." Cas made his way to the box of Captain Crunch. "Thank you, Charlie. For letting me stay here..."

"You don't need to keep thanking me. Cas. It's no prob." She glanced up at Cas. He looked like a ragamuffin. His hair was all ruffled with bedhead. And his clothes looked like he had worn them for days. In fact...

"Cas, do you have ANY extra clothes? You can't always wear the same thing anymore. You're not an angel..." Cas shook his head, scooping a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "Okay, change in plans: we go shopping for some extra clothes and food, THEN we marathon all the things..." Cas nodded, chewing.

"And you can always borrow t-shirts from me..." Cas swallowed. "Aren't men's shirts different than women's shirts?" he asked, tilting his head. "I have some "guy shirts". One of the perks of being a woman: wearing men's clothing with less judgement then the other way around..."

Cas nodded again, and ate another spoonful. "Thank you..."

"I'm serious, Cas. Stop."


	3. Chapter 3: Texts and Unicorns

Dean: Hey, Charlie.

Charlie: Hey, Dean! How r u!? It's been a week since u emailed! We thought u were dead...

Charlie: Again...

Dean: Haha, no. Just busy. You know: hunting, Abaddon running around starting Hell's Civil War, angels everywhere, Metatron, keeping an eye on Sam, keeping an eye on KEVIN, etc...

Charlie: :( Srry. Hey, how's the whole "King of Hell is ur prisoner" thing going?

Dean: Eh, like what you'd expect...

Dean: How's Cas?

Charlie: He's doing good. Gave him a crash course in TV and Movies. He now understands who Chewy is. (He's kinda adopted my stuffed animal of him BTW...) And he's assured me the people who cancelled Firefly won't get into Heaven when he gets back. Did u get the email of him doing The Carlton?

Dean: Hahaha! Yes! I never thought I'd see that. He looks so... Happy...

Charlie: It was amazing. U had to have been there when he first gave in to the music and danced. I think "It's Not Unusual" has become his fave song...

Dean: ...Of course it did... Glad he's doing okay...

Dean: Any angel trouble?

Charlie: Nope! Not a one, yet. Then again, he's rarely left the house. Why go outside when we've got Netflix, Xbox Live, and pizza on speed dial?

Charlie: ...So, can you explain a little more about WHY you kicked Heaven's Dreamiest Angel out of your bunker?

Dean: No.

Charlie: ...Okay... Do you want to at least talk to him? He misses you like crazy, Dean.

Dean: No.

Charlie: You have to talk to him sooner or later, Dean.

/

Dean didn't reply back to Charlie's last text. She sighed and turned the phone off. Someday Dean was going to stop being an idiot. A lovable idiot that was like a brother to her, but an idiot nonetheless.

Cas called from the living room. "So, is Dean fine?" Charlie went out to the living room. "Yeah. You aren't going to ask about Sam?" Cas shrugged. "If Dean's fine, Sam's probably fine." Charlie glanced up and nodded. He had a point.

She looked at what Cas was watching. "...Is that My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic?" Cas's eyes remained fixated on the screen, as they usually were when he watched TV. "I empathize with the purple unicorn's social inadequacies and the yellow pegasus's kindness..."

"I've created a monster..." Cas held a finger out to Charlie, signaling her to be quiet.

"The pink one is giggling at the ghostie..."


	4. Chapter 4: House Cas

Cas laid on the sofa, tossing Chewbacca up into the air and catching him. He'd been living with Charlie two weeks now. It had been fun. Better than when he was on the run. He could see why The Winchesters liked living in their bunker, besides the water pressure. It was nice to have a home for the first time in years. Heaven hadn't felt much like home the last few times he'd been.

He heard Charlie shout, "FRAK!" and race down the hall. She stopped in the living room. Cas noticed she was dressed rather nice: a blouse and dark pants. "You're going on a date?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. This nice girl I met from the laundromat. Her name's Billie. Our upstairs neighbor set us up. Diana Bowman. She's Austrailian."

Cas nodded. "Have fun. And remember protection. And an angel blade... Apparently they aren't the same..."

Charlie smiled, grabbing a purse. "I would've thought a former angel would have a different reaction to me dating a girl..."

"I'm indifferent to sexual orientation. And angels don't send people to Hell just for homosexuality if that's what you were thinking..."

"Okay, cool. I got to go, I'm already running late. You know where the food and phone is. Don't be too loud. Don't trash the apartment. And don't you dare watch the next episode of Agents of SHIELD without me! Bye!" She hastily exited the apartment.

"...I'm not a child. Am I, Chewbacca?" He asked the stuffed animal. He sat up and put it aside.

His stomach growled. "I'm hungry..." Cas got up and searched the kitchen for something that seemed good. What were those things Charlie taught him to make? "Pancakes." He remembered, grabbing the ingredients.

As soon as the first batch was done, he went to eat his first stack. Cas had his first bite. He moaned in delight. The former angel devoured the whole batch. Now with a full stomach, he decided to finish the last batch of pancakes. "Charlie can have the leftovers for breakfast..." he thought.

As he cooked the pancakes, the phone rang. Cas ran to the phone and picked up. "Hello. This is Cas..." He couldn't remember Charlie's alias's last name.

"Cas?"

He nearly dropped the phone.


	5. Chapter 5: The Call

"Dean?"

The elder Winchester cleared his throat. "Y...Yeah, it's me. Where's Charlie?"

"She went on a date. I'm on my own right now. I made pancakes. Before you ask, we've taken the necessary precautions against angels, and I've seen none of my siblings."

Both men were silent. Cas finally spoke. "I miss you..."

"I miss you, too, Cas..."

"Is... The reason I'm not allowed to stay with you Ezekiel?"

Dean went quiet on the other end. "How do you know about Zeke?"

"You mentioned him when Sam was in the hospital. I know I went to heaven briefly after the incident with the Reaper. I can somewhat sense my brother's presence in Sam. I'm not a fool... He's healing Sam as he heals himself, correct?"

More silence. "Yeah... Look, Cas, If I could find a way to, I'd keep you at the bunker and NEVER let you leave again. But Sam..."

"...Comes first, I know. You would do anything for your family..."

"...Cas, I..."

The smoke alarm went off. The last few pancakes Cas was cooking had burst into flame. Cas made a face and shook his head. "Oh, son of a..."

"Cas?"

"I have to go, Dean. The kitchen is turning into Hell..." He said, hanging up. He reached for the fire extinguisher and the sink hose. "Father, if you're listening, please don't let me burn the apartment down..."

~0~

Charlie, of course, walked in at least five minutes after most of the fire was gone. She nearly dropped the plastic bag she was holding. Cas extinguished the final flame. "Ha! Now I need to find the mop..." He spun around and saw Charlie. His victorious feeling deflated.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I had an accident with the last of the pancake batter..." He noticed the bright red stain on her blouse. "What happened to you? Did my brothers at-"

"No. My jealous ex Hannah crashed my date. She kept going on about being a captain now, she and Billie got into a fight, and spaghetti got everywhere. Ruined the night." She sighed. "Hannah's a tool..." Cas tilted his head. "I'm very sorry..."

"Aw, don't be. Here!" She said, digging out a paper cup with plastic over it. "I got fro-yo. Netflix?" Cas nodded. Charlie retreated to her room to change clothes while Cas put the frozen yogurt in the fridge and cleaned the kitchen. He flopped on the sofa and booted up the streaming service.

Charlie came back out, retrieved the yogurts and sat beside Cas. Cas thanked Charlie for the yogurt and loaded up a Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode. As the theme played, Charlie turned to Cas. "So, what happened in the kitchen?"

"Dean called."

"Oh." Charlie replied. She scooped up some more fro-yo. "Did you talk to him, or did he hang up?" she asked, taking a bite.

"I talked to him. We... Came to an understanding. Though I had to hang up, because..."

"The kitchen became Mt. Doom. I get it..." She took another bite.

Castiel scraped his spoon at the frozen treat. He stared pensively at it. "... I'm not allowed to use the stove for a while, am I?"

Charlie, her spoon still in her mouth, shook her head. "Nope." she said, pulling it out.

"Okay." Cas said. And that was the end of that conversation.


	6. Chapter 6: Dreams

Cas was sleeping soundly, arms wrapped around his beloved Chewbacca. He didn't understand why he enjoyed sleeping with the toy. Perhaps it was just that he found the presence of something beside him comforting. Even if the Wookie's plush likeness was inanimate. He did, however, understand why he'd grown to like sleeping. He enjoyed dreams.

As an angel, he'd only ever experienced dreams vicariously through other people. Never one of his own. He was merely a visitor at best, an intruder at worst. But now, as a human, he could experience them "properly".

At first, all he had were nightmares. Sometimes, he was alone. Completely alone. He'd call out for The Winchesters, someone, anyone... All he got was his own voice, echoing back. Others, he relived painful memories. Meg's death, Naomi manipulating his mind, Metatron stealing his grace, nearly killing Dean. Dying. Every mistake he ever made. The worst was a dream where Dean cut his heart out with an angel blade.

Whatever the nightmare, he'd wake up screaming. Charlie would often rush in, sit beside him on the bed, and ask if he was okay. Cas would rest his head on her shoulder, tears streaming down his face. Charlie would pet his head. He'd describe the dream, a practice he found strangely therapeutic. And Charlie would quip something about how at least Freddy... Something... (He didn't understand the reference) wasn't in the dreams.

Sometimes she would grab a book off her shelf and read. Cas appreciated the gesture, and liked The Chronicles of Narnia best. It calmed him down, and he could sleep fine.

~0~

But tonight, like many recent nights, he had no nightmares. They had lessened the longer he stayed with Charlie. Plus, that fateful phone call had all but eradicated them. He smiled in his sleep.

He dreamed surreal, happy dreams. Dreams of happier memories. Dreams where when he called out, someone would make sure he wasn't alone anymore. The best one was him, Charlie, and Dean, just spending time together.

Castiel smiled in his sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Morning

As much as Castiel loved dreams, he was unfortunately cursed to be a light sleeper. It was hard to tell whether it was just natural, or a trait he picked up from his time running on his own. He also wasn't exactly a "morning person". He despised getting up early. Though, to be fair, his getting up early in the morning wasn't his fault.

He couldn't help that his roommate was a morning person.

Every morning, Cas woke up to "Walking On Sunshine" playing from Charlie's room. He'd groan, and occasionally spit out pieces of synthetic fur from Chewbacca from his mouth. One month and he still hadn't adjusted. Then Cas would plod to the kitchen. He made coffee, poured some cereal, and ate breakfast. Charlie would usually make her way to the kitchen, fully dressed and perky. Cas, while appreciating his friend's demeanor most of the day, was less receptive at 7:15 in the morning.

"Good morning!" she'd say, pouring herself some coffee. "Morning..." he'd mumble. They'd make small talk, then Cas would browse things on the tablet while Charlie used the bathroom.

When she finished, Cas would go and shower. Charlie's apartment had decent water pressure, but it was nothing compared to the bunker. Then Cas would go get dressed. He'd make his way out to find Charlie tapping away on her laptop.

~0~

"Cas, have you thought about getting a job?" Charlie asked one Tuesday morning. Cas shook his head. "You don't have a job anymore, either..."

Charlie shrugged. "I still get enough royalties from this software me and some Moondoor buddies developed. Oh! Do you still want to go next weekend?" Cas nodded. "Okay, cool. Besides, that last job did things I don't approve of. I think I'm rich morally." There was something about how Charlie's demeanor changed that told Cas there was something wrong. But he decided not to pry. After all, she didn't pry about Dean and Ezekiel, it might be best to respect her privacy.

"Hey, the neighbor across the hall, Mr. Lightwood, needs someone to watch his daughter Bianca during the day on weekdays. Maybe you could do that..." Cas nodded. "I do enjoy the company of children." Charlie smiled. "Great! Though, a word of advice: maybe don't say that last bit..." Cas tilted his head, wearing his trademark confused puppy look.

"Why not?"

"Well..."


	8. Chapter 8: To The Moondoor

A/N: So, Cas has a job next episode of Supernatural, and that came after I wrote about Cas needing a job in the fic? *slams hands on table and raises them up* I AM THE PROPHET! ...Carry on...

~0~

Time flew for a while at Charlie's apartment. Cas would spend the mornings looking after young Bianca. Cas really did like children. There was something about their innocence and optimism that warmed his heart. Metatron, when he stole his grace, had told him to settle down and have kids. And, despite his feelings of loathing and betrayal towards the angel, that sounded like a good suggestion...

Plus, Bianca had ponies. He liked ponies.

~0~

"Cas, are you ready to go?" Charlie called, pulling a hoodie over her Moondoor battle gear. They were battling The Warriors of Yesteryear today, and they couldn't be late. Especially her, being queen and all. Cas called from his room: "I CAN'T TIE MY BRACERS!" Charlie sighed. "We'll tie them when we get there, now come on!"

Cas stepped out in full battle gear, bracers gripped in his hand. He smiled, holding his arms out. "How do I look?" Charlie snapped a picture with her phone. "You look awesome, Cas! I'm sending a pic to Dean..." She emailed it to Dean and they rushed to Charlie's car.

~0~

Charlie and Cas finally arrived at The Followers of the Moon Camp, and Charlie was surrounded by LARPers. "Your Majesty, where have you been? It's almost time to defeat The Warriors of Yesteryear, and take our revenge!" Charlie's right hand man said, then turned to Cas, drawing a sword. "And who is this knave?" Cas instinctively went for the "dagger" Charlie gave him. Charlie stepped between them. "Halt! That is an order! I'm sorry for the delay, Lord Garrison, but I had to collect my... uh... brother, Sir Castiel. He wishes to aid us..."

"Lord Garrison" signaled he was breaking character. "Dude, Carrie, seriously? You chose to bring in a noob today of all days?" Charlie folded her arms. "Gary, come on! He's my brother, he's staying with me for a while, and I didn't want to just ditch him! Besides, the last time I brought in noobs, they ended up being a huge help..." Gary sighed. "Fine."

Gary signaled they were back in character. "Ah, I see. Welcome, Sir Castiel, to our camp." He said, holding his hand out to Cas. Castiel shook his hand. "Thank you, Lord Garrison. I assure you that we will achieve victory over The Warriors of Yesteryear." Charlie smiled, Cas seemed to have a handle on this. Or he could be completely serious. It was hard to tell.

~0~

Charlie adjusted Cas's bracers. "Cas, remember..."

"I'm not going to try and actually kill anyone. You've repeatedly told me not to. I can tell what's reality..." Charlie sighed. "I know." She smiled. "Alright, ready to go?" Cas nodded, then put his fist over his heart as a salute, and bowed. "Ready to follow you into battle, my Queen..."

"Wow, Cas. You're really good at this..." Charlie commented. "Thank you, I watched a lot of Medieval Europe as an angel..." Cas replied. Charlie blinked. "...Alright then. To battle."

~0~

"WARRIORS OF YESTERYEAR! YOU BETRAYED US IN OUR RAID OF THE SHADOW ORCS, AND KIDNAPPED OUR WIZARDS!" "Lord Garrison" shouted across the park to the opposition.

"Didn't you say he was partially to blame for the wizards being caught?" Cas whispered. Charlie sighed. "Yes. He gets... Dramatic..."

"THE GODS HAVE GIVEN US THE CHANCE TO SET THINGS RIGHT HERE ON THE BATTLEFIELD..."

"This was so much better when Dean just stole classic movie speeches..."

"...NOW, WE, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE QUEEN OF MOONS, WILL TAKE BACK WHAT IS..."

A random plunger arrow shot from The Warriors' side, hitting "Garrison" in the head. Everyone from their side turned to the archer responsible. "Darn it, Leroy! Why do we keep inviting you along?" "What? We all wanted to do that!"

"They're distracted, let's go!" Cas called out. Everyone charged at The Warriors, beginning a clash that would still be remembered for years to come by LARPers in the state of Michigan. A battle so great, mere words could not adequately describe the spectacle, the atmosphere, in justifiable detail. Those who experienced it came back to their real lives changed that day.

~0~

Charlie and Cas walked (well, Charlie was more or less skipping gleefully) back to her tent at the end of the day, victorious and linked at the arm. "I enjoyed that..." Cas admitted. Charlie beamed. "Good." Cas collected the things they needed to bring home. Charlie headed to the tent entrance, but stopped.

"What is it, Ch-"

"Shh..." She motioned Cas to come up next to her.

"...Sorry I was off, Leena, it's just, you know, I got this call about my little cousin... They found her dead, with her heart missing... I really should have gone home and..."

"Daryl, it's okay. There's nothing you could have done..."

Cas and Charlie stepped away from the tent entrance. "Sounds like a hunter thing..." Cas commented. Charlie nodded. "We should definitely check it out."

"We?"

"Yeah, I started doing a little hunting before I took you in. You are up for hunting, right?"

Castiel nodded. Then smiled wistfully. "It'll be like with The Winchesters..." Charlie patted him on the back. "Atta boy, Cas. Besides, who knows? Maybe we'll run into them on the job..."


	9. Chapter 9: We're A Couple Of Misfits

A/N: Oh my gosh! Cas and the baby in "Heaven Can't Wait"! I couldn't. Also, Cas babysitting? Again, I am The Oracle! ...Waitaminute, does this mean some of my other fics/other things from this will somehow get canon? O_O Seriously, if Mooseley or part of this hunt happens, I'm gonna freak out... Carry on, my wayward companions... -CH

~0~

Charlie could never get used to pantsuits. Sure, she had dressed up before, but she wouldn't choose to wear a pantsuit if it weren't a hunt. Cas fidgeted in his rented suit. Clearly he wasn't used to suits anymore. She handed Cas a freshly printed fake FBI badge. "You ready to go?" Cas nodded.

~0~

They arrived at the morgue, flashing their badges at the pathologist. "Dr. Bree. Special agents Graham and Starling, we talked on the phone. We're here to investigate the little girl..." Charlie stated. The pathologist smirked, amused. "Funny. Scotland Yard comes to investigate a new body, now the FBI investigates the other..." she said.

Castiel tilted his head. "Isn't that British Law Enforcement?" Dr. Bree threw her hands up. "With how weird these last few cases have been, nothing surprises me..." Charlie nodded. "We might need to check into that, too. Just in case..."

Cas pulled Charlie aside. "One moment, Dr. Bree..." He turned to Charlie. "It's probably another hunter..." Charlie nodded. "Yeah, I kinda figured. Certainly not The Winchesters, though. Sorry, Cas..." "It's alright. Although, Dean did tell me about a hunter who often posed as eccentric th-... Oh no. I... I think I've met this one..." Cas walked towards Dr. Bree and the morgue, nodding. Charlie caught up. "Wait, who is this guy?"

~0~

Cas could recognize the hunter from the one time he met him. He was wearing a bright yellow jacket and a black police-style hat with checks on it. He was currently going on to the pathologist's assistant about how he spent part of his childhood in the states, thus he lacked a British accent.

He noticed the assistant notice Cas, and spun around to face him. He grinned. Then he coughed, trying to be "professional" again. "Oh, the FBI is here, too. Agents..." He shook Cas's hand, winking. Charlie caught up to Cas, and shook hands, too. Dr. Bree got the little girl's body out. "I'm sure Officer Lestrade can fill you in on the details of the man." she said, walking out of the room.

Cas suddenly found himself being hugged. "Castiel! It's so good to see you!" Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Cas, who is this guy?" she asked. Castiel wiggled out of the hug. "Charlie, this is Garth. He is a hunter an friend of The Winchesters. Garth, this is Charlie, a sort of hunter, hacker, and friend of me and The Winchesters..." Garth tipped his hat. "Nice to meet you.

Funny, I thought you'd be with The Winchesters, given what Dean told me about you. Sorry about your Grace." Cas shrugged. "There are advantages and disadvantages..." Cas registered the middle bit. "Dean told you about me?" Garth nodded. "Yeah, he asked me to keep my eyes and ears open for you when you fell. He was really worried. So why ain't you two together?"

"He couldn't stay. Cas doesn't talk much about it, except that it's complicated. He's rooming with me for the time being." Charlie said. "...Why a Scotland Yard officer, of all things?" Garth held up his hands. "I can't wear those monkey suits. It just feels unnatural..." Charlie and Cas had to agree with that. "Plus, it comes with a cool hat!" Charlie grinned. "I know! Can I?" Garth let Charlie wear the hat for a while.

Cas looked at the little girl's body, tilting his head. He never understood why children had to die. "Penny Stark." he read from her toe tag. He started to look at the hole in her chest. "What sick creature rips a little girl's heart out?" Charlie asked aloud, taking the hat off. Garth shook his head as he inspected the hole, too. "Breaks mine."

"Looks like an animal ripped it out. You can kinda see the claw marks..." Garth noted. Cas nodded. "And what about the other?" The trio made their way to the other body. "It's really weird, all his blood is drained out, but there's not a wound inside or out." Garth explained. "Poor Joel Stark. I can't imagine what their family's going through..."

"Wait, this guy's a Stark, too?" Charlie asked. "These are probably connected. We should talk to the family..." Castiel nodded. "And someone should check out the dump Joel used to work at. There's probably clues." Garth added. "That should be you. You seem know its location." Cas suggested. The three split up and headed to the door. They passed a tall, blond man in a lab coat.

~0~

Cas was sitting with Charlie in The Starks' living room. Mrs. Stark was a wreck, sobbing. Her husky was trying to comfort his beloved master. He always found human sadness uncomfortable as an angel. But since Cas became one himself, he found he couldn't stand seeing it even more. He felt stronger sympathy and empathy, now, and it was too much.

Cas reached his hand out to Mrs. Stark. "I'm very sorry about your brother and daughter..." Mrs. Stark wiped her eyes with a tissue. "Thank you, Agent Graham. It's just too much to take. I feel like I've lost everyone." "I know the feeling..." Charlie said sadly.

"Mrs. Stark, tell me, did Joel have any enemies?" Mrs. Stark blew her nose. "No, not really..." "How about Penny?" Cas mistakenly said. Mrs. Stark reacted as one would expect. "Penny was in 4th Grade. What enemies could she have?" Charlie piped in. "Sorry, my partner here's been working through a lot of cases... He just goes on autopilot sometimes. Graham, why don't you look around?"

~0~

"I found some photographs." Cas stated when they all met up in Garth's hotel room. "I took photographs of them with my phone." "Photoception!" Charlie quipped while researching at her laptop. Cas handed the phone to Garth. The first was a picture of Mrs. Stark, Joel, and Dr. Bree's assistant, all gathered around a pool table.

"Gavin Hooper." Garth said aloud. "That's his name?" Cas asked. "Yeah. He seemed like an alright guy. You don't think he did this?" Cas shrugged. "Well, I also found this one." he said as he scrolled to the next one. It was of The Starks, Gavin, and a familiar blond man standing in front of a building. "I found the same picture in Joel's office!" Garth announced. "Apparently it was from a vacation they all took to The Philippines..."

"The Philippines? ...I think I found what we're dealing with. Something called a sigbin. Okay, get this, they're monsters that drink blood out of their victim's shadow..." Charlie said, flipping her laptop to show the picture of the monster. "So there wouldn't be any wounds..." Garth added. "Right. And, disturbingly enough, they rip the hearts out of children to wear as amulets." Cas's eyes widened. "So this is what's targeting The Starks?" Charlie shook her head. "I don't think it specifically is. You see, according to this, sigbin can be controlled by families called "Sigbinhan". They bring their owners all sorts of luck and fortune."

"So maybe Gavin is a Sigbinhan, and brought one home from The Philippines?" Cas asked. Charlie shrugged. "Possibly. We'll never know if we don't investigate." They all got ready to go, but not before Garth raised his hands. "One minute..."

From his duffel bag, Garth pulled out a shoebox and a Wii that looked like it'd seen better days; wires jutting from the sides and the power chord more electrical tape now than chord. "I found this in the dump! Oh man, I've always wanted one of these bad boys! It still works, and even has Mario Party in it! Maybe we can play it after the case?"

Charlie knew that was a really bad idea, given what Mario Party does to people. "I have never played this game..." Cas stated. "Could we?" Charlie sighed. She didn't want to face Castiel's puppy eyes. She was not as strong as Dean when it came to them. "Fine." Garth grinned. "Awesome! But first let's find out if Gavin's our hombre..."


	10. 10 If You're Hunting & You Know It

A/N: This hunt was originally just one chapter, but evidently it proved too big for just one. Eh, just thought I'd share some behind the scenes... (I swear I won't make ANs at the beginning a habit...) -CH

~0~

"Okay..." Charlie said as they came up on the morgue. "You're sure he's working the graveyard shift alone, Garth?" Garth nodded. "He was telling me all about it when he showed me Joel's body. He seemed like decent enough guy. But I guess you can say that about a lot of killers..."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys, sigbin can make a clapping noise with their ears. Just a warning..." Charlie stated. "That would have been nice to tell us earlier..." Cas remarked. "Let's go and find out if he's our man..."

The ragtag group of hunters broke into the morgue. They saw Gavin putting a sheet over a body, his lab coat was splattered in blood. Blood started to seep into the sheet. "GAVIN!" Garth called out. Charlie pointed a gun at the assistant. "Why did you kill The Starks?" Cas demanded. Gavin put his hands up. "Kill The Starks? Why would I kill The Starks?"

The group pondered this. "Well... I read Mrs. Stark is a fairly wealthy woman. She runs her late husband's dog food company. I hacked her account, she sends you some money each week to help you get by. But when you were in The Philippines, you found out you could control the sigbin, so you smuggled it home. With that luck, you could make a killing in poker. No need for The Starks, now. So you started killing them... I guess..."

"You didn't tell us that, either? Geez, Charlie…"

"Sorry, Garth! Usually when I find information, it means I have to go into hiding! I'm not used to sharing..."

Gavin looked unimpressed. "No. I didn't kill The Starks. Why? Because Jean Stark is my half-sister through our mom… No, if you're looking for the Sigbinhan around here, try my half-brother, Raymond Siger." Cas tilted his head. "Is that the blond man in The Philippines picture?" Gavin nodded.

"You see, Raymond's greedy. When he found out I was related to The Starks through Jean's marriage, he tried to get me to give him money. I refused, so he tried weaseling his way into the family dynamic, even getting in on our trip to The Philippines months ago. After that, I cut ties to Raymond, so he'd would stop bugging me, and drifted away from my sister for good measure.

"Well, turns out that, on my and Raymond's dad was a Sigbinhan. And that ability passed down to us... Raymond found the sigbin during the vacation and smuggled him home. He told me he was content killing my family until I agree..." He pulled the sheet back, revealing the body of Dr. Bree. "Or anyone he felt he needed to..."

"But wait, doesn't he know sigbins give their masters fortune? Why would he need you to get the money?" Charlie asked.

They heard clapping.

The group spun around and saw the blond man from the picture ("and the morgue earlier..." Cas remembered.) and the sigbin. The creature resembled a mid-sized, dog-like kangaroo. A heart, Penny's, was wrapped around its neck. Its ears were clapping together, producing the sound. "Dude, seriously? You can't even slow-clap yourself? Worst villain ever..." Charlie quipped. Garth nodded in agreement. "Pretty lame..."

Raymond rolled his eyes. "I can tell you three are going to be annoying. And you're right, I don't need my dear brother's help anymore. I just want him to realize the mistake he made in not helping me." Charlie drew her gun and pointed at Raymond. Raymond tutted. "Bad choice..." He snapped his fingers, his eyes turning a glowing amber color. The sigbin leapt at Charlie. Garth pushed Charlie out of the way, the creature landing on him instead. It turned towards the hunter's shadow...

"STOP!" Gavin shouted, his eyes turning the same color as his brother's. The sigbin's ears drooped and it stepped back. Raymond scowled. "What are you doing? Attack them!" Gavin glared. "You know you're not the only one in our family who can control a sigbin!" He said sternly. The two half-brothers focused intently on the creature, calling it to themselves. Cas saw an opportunity. He grabbed ahold of his blade. He looked to his allies, who nodded. While Raymond was distracted by trying to wrestle control of his sigbin, Cas snuck up and stabbed the man through the heart.

~0~

"So, what are you going to do about this little fella?" Garth asked Gavin, motioning to the sigbin currently rubbing the Sigbinhan's leg. Gavin petted behind it's ears. "I guess I'll keep him. Make sure no one like Raymond gets him again. We'll go underground. Maybe get into some misadventures. Besides, I always wanted a pet..." Charlie handed him a card. "If you need any help disappearing, give me a call..." Gavin took the card and nodded. "C'mon, Siegfried!" He called to the sigbin, his eyes glowing amber again. The two left the morgue, never to return.

"Thanks for helping, Garth. And for saving me." Charlie said. "No problem!" Garth said with a smile. He turned to Cas. "Nice job stabbing Raymond, Cas." Charlie nodded. "Yeah, that was awesome!" "Thank you..." Cas said, smiling.

~0~

"...And that's basically what happened..." Charlie said, making a call on her phone. She was pacing around Garth's hotel room.

"WHY IS IT ALL I EVER GET IS ONES!? YOU ALWAYS GET SIXES! THE GAME IS UNFAIR!" Cas yelled out in frustration.

"Hey, it's all luck. Don't get mad! Besides, YOU always get the minigames!" Garth replied, sounding uncharacteristically testy.

"Hey! I'm on the phone! Besides, if you ask me, Yoshi's the true enemy. He keeps stealing the stars..." Charlie stated. She turned her attention to the phone call. "Sorry, Dean. What were you saying?"

"Just that it's cool you guys got the job done. Is hunting starting to appeal to you more?" Dean asked over the phone. "...Yeah. Totally. Me, Cas, and Garth made a good team... We just need to work on our deductive skills. Sherlocks we are not..." Charlie said, her tone not matching her words.

"BALLS! YOSHI, I NEEDED THOSE COINS FOR THE STAR!" Garth shouted.

"...What are you guys doing?" Dean asked.

"Just destroying the friendship we've formed over a nice game of Mario Party on Garth's new Wii..."

Dean was silent a moment on the phone. "I guess I'll leave you guys to it, then. Besides, me and Sam got a job to do..."

"Okay, see ya..." Charlie said, hanging up the phone. "Okay, boys, what'd I miss?" she said, turning her attention to her friends.

"Garth has sworn vengeance on Yoshi, I cannot travel far, and it is now your turn..." Cas said bluntly. Garth handed Charlie her remote. And so the three continued to play Mario Party until their mutual dissatisfaction with the results of the game caused them all to rage quit...


	11. Chapter 11: Visitors

"It's a shame Garth couldn't stay longer, he was starting to grow on me." Cas called to Charlie as he read the news on the tablet. "Yeah, I liked him. He was quirky. But he did have a hunt to go on…" She called back from the shower. There was a banging at the door. Cas got up. He figured he'd practice getting the door. But he held his angel blade in his free hand, just in case.

But when Cas opened the door, a woman tumbled in, bloody. Cas caught her and immediately shut the door. He helped her to the sofa. "Miss, are you okay?" He called for Charlie, Asking that she bring extra towels. Cas ran to the kitchen, grabbed a paper towel, and pressed it to her bleeding forehead.

The woman was relatively young. She had short blonde hair, shaved on the left. There was a black streak in her hair. She dressed in a midriff-baring shirt, a jacket, and skinny jeans. And now she was covered in cuts. "Miss, I asked if you're okay..." she nodded. "Yeah..." she said in an Australian accent. "Fine..."

Charlie came into the room in a robe and towels. "What is it, Ca-" her eyes turned to the woman. "Diana!" She exclaimed. Cas picked up Diana as Charlie put a towel over the sofa. "This is Diana Bowman?" "Yeah, she hooked me up with Billie..." "Sorry it didn't work out, Chars, BTW. I was sure that time it would work out for you. You two were adorable." Charlie shrugged. "It happens. Cas, grab the First-Aid kit..."

"What happened?" Cas asked as he pulled the First-Aid Kit from the hall closet. As Charlie and Cas tended to her wounds, Diana spoke. "These guys... Angels..." she stated. Cas froze. "They wanted me to deliver a message to someone, and they knew you were friends of him..." Cas had a feeling he knew the answer, but he asked anyway: "Who?"

"Dean Winchester..."

~0~

Dean was surprised to see the name on his phone's caller ID. "Cas. What is it?"

"Dean there is a woman..."

"Look, Cas, I told you how they work, you don't need to call me before you have..."

"It's not about intercourse, THIS IS SERIOUS, DEAN! She came to me and Charlie's place, all bloody. She has a message from my brothers to you..."

Dean paused, gripping the phone. "I'll be right there. We're just wrapping up..." He hung up the phone. He turned to Sam, his face silhouetted by the fire burning from a bag of bones. "I gotta go, Sam. Cas has a situation, he needs me..." He ran off to The Impala.

Sam just held his arms out. "You-you're not taking me, then? I'm just supposed to clean this up myself?" He called. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET BACK TO THE BUNKER, JERK!?"

~0~

Dean arrived late that night. Cas greeted him at the door, and the two men hugged. (Diana and Charlie smiled at this.) "Good to see you again..." He turned to Charlie and hugged her, too. Then he looked to Diana. "So, you have a message for me?"

Diana motioned for Dean to help her up. Dean complied. "Yeah. The angels are wanting you to give up Castiel…" she said, leaning on the former angel for support. "They want his cute butt turned in soon, or they're making your life Hell..." she added, patting Cas's face.

"Like they didn't already..." Dean snarked. He and Cas exchanged a long look. Diana's mouth quirked up. "Wait, couldn't they have just asked you to get Cas?" Diana stood up a bit straighter, not hanging off Cas anymore. Charlie looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "They... Uhm... Knew I lived in the same building as Chars, so they asked me, knowing she knew you. They didn't know Cas was here."

"Sorry I dragged you into this, Charlie..." Charlie held up her hands. "No need. I knew what I was getting into..." Diana folded her arms. "So, what're you going to do, Winchester?" Dean scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'm not turning Cas in, that's for sure. But I don't know how I'm going to deal with them..." Dean started for the door.

"Dean, wait!" Cas burst out, grabbing Dean's wrist. "Maybe you could stay here a while, we can figure it out together. It is all our problem..." He suggested. Dean closed his eyes and sighed. "That... Is a good idea. I'd save money on a hotel. But it's a two-bedroom apartment, and I'm pretty sure this chick..." "DIANA!" "Is taking the couch..."

Cas looked down, turning pink. "You could share my futon..." He said, almost bashfully. Dean blinked. "Er... Cas?" "I assure you, Dean, it will just be sleep. It will not escalate..." Dean shrugged. "Well, at least you won't be watching me sleep. That's just creepy..." Cas couldn't help but smile. He dragged Dean to the room, Dean protesting that he needed to get his things from Baby.

~0~

As soon as she was sure Cas and Dean were asleep, Charlie went up to Diana who was still lying on the couch. "What is it, Chars?" She asked, tossing a pillow up and not making eye contact.

"Why are you really here?"


	12. Chapter 12: Clip Your Wings

"What do you mean?" Diana asked. Charlie's brow furrowed. "You know what I mean. Your story is pretty shady..." She grabbed Cas's angel blade from where he'd tucked it away. "Are you an angel?" Diana scoffed. "Aw, I'm flattered." She rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Chars. I've known you for months..."

Charlie ran to Diana and held the blade under the injured woman's neck. "Angels can take a vessel at any time." She pressed the blade closer. "Maybe I'm a little clearer: Are. You. An angel? Or a Reaper?" Diana held her hands up. "Okay, okay!" Charlie eased up on Diana as the woman sat up.

"Alright. First of all: I am not a Reaper. Ew. And I'm not exactly an angel. At least not the ones you're expecting. If I was, your warding would've prevented me from even making it past the door..." She motioned to the walls. "The landlord's totally going to kill you when he finds out about it, BTW..." Diana held her palm out. A little bow and arrow appeared on the surface of her skin. "I'm a Cupid..."

Charlie looked incredulous. "Well... That explains so much... Especially all that matchmaking you do..." Diana smirked. "So, did the angels sic you on us like they did the Reapers?" Charlie asked sternly. "Well, sort of. They sent me here, but I'm not exactly on their team. Not many of the cupids and cherubs are... Look, just let me explain, Charlie. I swear to Dad it'll all make sense..." Charlie folded her arms. "I'm listening..."

"Look, I'm a cupid, but I'm sort of been a black sheep up top. You heard of Gabriel and Balthazar? I was closer to them back in the day. Especially my big bro Gabe. He was nice to me before he ran away, and I helped him with some of his Earthly tricks." She sighed. "I miss them so much. Heaven isn't the same without them. Too many tools, now.

"Anyway, I've kinda made here my weekend home between jobs. Before we all got the boot, a sister of mine told me Cas was planning to drag us all back upstairs so we could work out our issues, maybe get back to how things were before Michael and Co. decided The Apocalypse was the bestest idea ever. Then, well, you know..." She whistled to illustrate the angels falling, then stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Metatron's a toolbag.

"So, Bartholomew decides we should all do the usual: blame Cas for everything and gank the adorable mess. Me, the other cupids, and a handful of my higher up siblings aren't exactly for that, however. We're just trying to act like things are fine, keep crap from devolving to anarchy, and wait for life to go back to normal. We're not ALL tools, after all.

"The Holy Tools faction got wind of one of my leftover assignments before The Fall: Dean Winchester. So, they wanted me to find a way to get him to weed out Cas. I refused, since I'm Team Free Will, man. They beat the crap out me in response. Then they told me to give Dean the message..."

Charlie frowned. "Wait, and you're sure they didn't follow you?" Diana smacked her forehead. "Sonofa... I am an idiot..." Charlie shook her head. "Way to go. Now we're on high alert." Diana buried her head in the pillow. "'M sorry..."

Charlie sighed. "I did not sign up for this..." Diana poked her head up. "Kinda hoped you wouldn't get caught up in this. Especially since I've failed to pair you with someone twice..."

"Twice? Who have you tried to pair me with besides Billie?"

"That Oz chick, Dorothy. You didn't see me, since I was using crazy ninja cupid juju, but I was trying to put you two together. But then you had to go and stay here and watch Cassy." She paused. "You wanted to go, didn't you? C'mon, help a cupid's self-esteem..."

Charlie sighed. "Heck yeah. But I promised Dean I'd watch Cas." Charlie pulled the key to Oz from her pocket. "I figured that he'd take him back a long time ago. I adore Cas, don't get me wrong. He's become one of my best friends. It's just..." Diana nodded "I know. I know. Dean's stupid..." Her mouth quirked up. She got up and made her way to Cas's Room/Charlie's Office. Charlie followed. They peeked in the door.

Cas and Dean were both asleep. Cas's head lay on Dean's chest, his arms wrapped around the hunter's torso. Dean had his arms around Cas protectively, his head resting atop the other man's. The stuffed Chewbacca sat at the end of the bed, as if it were watching over them. "Guess who I was assigned to pair Dean up with?" Diana whispered.

"No way!" Charlie whispered as Diana closed the door. "Well, technically I had free reign on this one. But TBH I shipped them BEFORE I got the job, and they were practically boyfriends already, so..." She held the hand with her arrow up. "Why not make it canon?" Charlie thought back to how touchy Diana got with the boys. Now she realized what she really was up to. "You sneaky-!"

Diana grinned cheekily. "It's best for everyone. Cas and Dean finally get to be happy together, you can go to Oz, and once I'm sure everything's all good in the magical land of Destiel, I'm going underground to avoid my psychotic family! Maybe I'll run to Australia. Never actually been, but I love their accents!"

Charlie was still skeptical. "Okay, I'll buy it for now. But the minute it seems like you're lying, the minute you try to hurt my friends, I'm ganking you..." Diana held her hands up. "Fair's fair, Chars. But if the higher-ups attack, just remember I could've easily led them here by accident..." Diana headed back to her couch. Charlie went to the fridge, grabbed a 6-pack of energy drinks, and sat beside the cupid.

"I'm not taking my eye off you..."

"Humans have to sleep..."

"I've pulled all-nighters before. I'm prepared. Bring it..." Charlie said, taking a swig of energy drink.


	13. Chapter 13: Unusual

Cas stirred. He was in the process of waking up from probably the best sleep he ever had. He noticed he and Dean were snuggled together. The action caused a strange but familiar, amplified feeling in him. It was interesting, but not unpleasant. In fact, it felt almost... Right. He'd felt this since Dean arrived. He'd felt it whenever he was with Dean. But it was stronger now, and grew the longer he stayed. The last time he'd felt something like this was with Meg. He nuzzled into Dean a bit, far too comfortable, and started dozing off again.

Dean shifted beneath him, he stirred and somewhat woke up. "Hey..." He yawned. Cas blinked. So much for a few extra minutes. "Good morning, Dean..." he said. "Morning, Cas..." Cas expected more of a fuss from Dean about their position. Perhaps it was too early for that, or Dean was experiencing the same feeling. Cas felt something else was off. "Why isn't "Walking On Sunshine" blasting from Charlie's room?" He asked aloud, sitting up. Dean sat up with him. "Dunno. Maybe she was letting us sleep in?" Cas squinted. "Maybe. It just seems unlike her. I should check on her..." Dean stretched and nodded. "Yeah. You do that. Also, Cas..." Cas looked over at Dean. "What?"

Dean smirked. "Love the bedhead..."

~0~

Dean and Cas found Charlie sitting on the sofa with Diana, covered in empty energy drink cans and looking beyond tired. "You look like crap..." Dean said bluntly. "I was staying up all night, keeping an eye on Diana..." Cas smiled. "That was very kind of you, Charlie. You should sleep now. We'll take it from here..." She nodded, and Cas helped her to her room. Diana looked to Dean and smiled. "So, you and Cas..."

Dean looked up at the ceiling. "I-its nothing. Me and him are..."

"Just friends? Oh, darlin', I have heard that far too many times before. 95% of the time it's crap."

"Okay, he's more than that. He's like family..."

"By blood or by law?" Diana asked, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.

Dean was about to go off on her when Cas came back. Dean's heart leapt a bit. Why was he suddenly feeling like this every time Cas showed up? Diana smirked. "Oh, Cas. Charlie gave me one of those pancakes you make one time. You know, the ones better than sex? Could you hook us up with some?" Cas smiled. "Sure, Diana."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You cook now?" Dean asked. Cas nodded. "Yes. I believe, much like you in your bunker, I've become "domesticated"..." Dean chuckled. "Well, let me help..." Cas nodded and started to set up. "Hey, Cas, mind if I turn on the radio?"

"Not at all..."

Dean turned on the kitchen radio, and by strange coincidence, "It's Not Unusual" started playing through the speakers. Dean got the goofiest grin on his face. "Caaaaas..." Cas shook his head, chuckling. "Dean, no..." "Aw, c'mon..." Cas sighed and relented. He started to dancing the Carlton. Dean pumped his fist in victory, and started dancing alongside him, lip-syncing into a whisk.

They dancing around devolved into just random dancing around as they prepared the pancake batter to Tom Jones's song. At one point towards the end of the song, Dean spun Cas, but the angel tripped on his feet and sent both men crashing on top of each other onto the kitchen floor. (Diana squeed.) Dean looked up at Cas. He never realized how blue his puppy dog eyes were. Cas seemed to be taking in every feature on Dean's face, as if he never saw it before. It was like they were the only two people in the apartment. Cas was leaning in closer...

...When the radio station DJ loudly announced something no one was interested in, breaking the spell. Dean cleared his throat and Cas got off of him. "Booooo..." Diana said. "That was a terrible finale! The least you could do is finish the pancakes..." The men got off the floor, and went back to cooking.

~0~

Dean took a bite of pancake and froze. "Is it alright, Dean?" Castiel asked. Dean made a rather immodest noise. "Oh, yeah. Diana wasn't kidding. These are great..." Cas beamed. "Well then, I'll have what you're having..." he said, turning to his own stack. Dean pointed at Cas as he swallowed his bite of food. "Did you just reference When Harry Met Sally?" Cas shook his head. "I do not understand that reference..." Dean smirked. "Well, at least some things don't change..."

What did he mean by "some things don't change"? Cas thought. Perhaps Dean did feel the strange happiness, too. The... Love. Yes, Cas knew he recognized it. Love. He was in love with Dean. The former angel couldn't quite puzzle out why he felt it so strongly, so overwhelmingly, all of a sudden, but that was certainly the case.

Dean's eyes (Cas never really appreciated how green they were until now.) looked to him. "Cas. What's up? You've been staring at me..." Cas shook his head, feeling flustered. "Nothing. I'm just... Deep in thought. Also, I just remembered I have to watch Bianca..." Dean raised an eyebrow. "Who's Biaca?"

"Bianca Lightwood. The precocious little girl who lives with her dad next door. Cassy's been babysitting her for a while now. It's adorable..." Diana chimed in. "You know, Cas, you should bring Dean along. You two have a lot of catching up to do, and he could be helpful..."

Cas lit up. "That would be... Nice, actually... If Mr. Lightwood is okay with it. Dean, do you want to accompany me?" Dean shrugged. "I guess so. But what's Diana gonna do?" Diana smirked. "I'll just stay here. Don't want to run the risk of angels..." Cas nodded. Dean pulled an angel blade out of his boot to show Cas he had them covered, and stuffed it back in.

Cas opened the door, feeling lighter than he'd ever felt before.


	14. Chapter 14: Mouths Of Babes

"Hello, Mr. Lightwood. This is Dean. He's a... Friend of mine visiting town. I didn't want to leave him by himself, so I thought I'd have him help me watch Bianca..."

Mr. Lightwood straightened his crucifix tie pin. "Do I have to pay him, too?" He said jokingly, pointing at Dean. Cas shook his head. Mr. Lightwood winked. "Then it's fine." He headed for the door. "Bianca!" He called. "Cas is here! And he brought a friend!"

A little girl around the age of five with dark hair skipped into the living room, and hugged her dad's leg. "Bye, Dad!" Mr. Lightwood scooped his daughter up. "Bye, Bianca." He said. She kissed him on the cheek and turned around, reaching for Cas. Mr. Lightwood passed her off to Cas and walked out the door.

Bianca wrapped her arms around Cas's neck. "Cas!" Cas smiled. "Bianca!" She giggled and looked at Dean. "Who's that?" Cas grinned. "That is Dean." Dean waved. "Dean is one of the bravest, most loyal men I know. And my best friend..."

Dean smiled back. He felt a warm feeling from Cas's compliments. But it wasn't like he was going to blush or anything. He was a grown man, after all. Even though he felt like it. He had to admit, Cas looked adorable with the little girl. He also felt a pang of guilt for kicking him out of the bunker. Maybe...

Bianca gasped. "Cas! You wanna "Sonic Rainboom" again?" She said. Cas let her down. "Okay, you go turn it on." Dean raised an eyebrow at Cas. "What's "Sonic Rainboom"?" "It's an episode of My Little Pony!" Bianca explained. "You watch that show!?" Dean asked Cas, incredulous. "Apparently I'm what Charlie calls a "brony"..." Cas stated. "There's more of you?" "Charlie admires them for, quote, "sticking it to gender roles"..." "C'mon, Cas! It's loading!" Cas scurried to the living room, dragging Dean along, much to his chagrin.

~0~

Cas looked at Dean, who sat there wide-eyed and slack-jawed at what he just saw. "What is it, Dean?" "D-did that little horse just pull off a sonic boom?" "Sonic RAINboom..." Bianca corrected. "Okay... That was actually kind of awesome..." Cas smiled. "Rainbow Dash is my favorite pony!" Bianca said gleefully. Dean smirked. "Really? And Cas, who's your favorite?"

"I have found Princess Luna to be my favorite. I empathize with her. She wants to make up for the mistakes she made in her past and move on from them. Plus, she is awkward at social things..." Dean looked at Cas with concern. He put his hand on Cas's shoulder. "For the love of...! He's describing a cartoon horse! WHY AM I GETTING ALL MISTY-EYED ABOUT HIM DESCRIBING A CARTOON HORSE!?" Dean thought.

Bianca spun around. "Are you guys boyfriends?" Dean's eyes widened. "Whoa! Where'd you get that idea?" Bianca stood up. "You act like my Uncle Alex. He has a boyfriend..." She stated, and skipped off. Dean was dumbstruck at the what the little girl said.

Cas started snickering. "And what's so funny, Cas?" Dean asked.

"Your face is very amusing right now..." Cas said, and started laughing.

Dean started laughing, too. He couldn't recall ever really hearing Cas genuinely laugh before.

He liked it.

~0~

Charlie walked out of her room at about noon. Diana was sitting upside down on the couch, watching Netflix. "No, mate! Don't you dare not tell her... Spit it out... She needs to hear it..." She swore and threw the remote at the TV. "DOCTOR, YA BLOODY WOMBAT! This is why I prefer real life: my ships happen there..."

"Dude, careful! That's my TV..." Charlie protested. "Aw, relax, Chars. You're gonna be off to see the wizard soon, you won't need your TV..." Charlie looked around. "Where's Dean and Cas?"

"Brokeback Futon went to watch Bianca. You're welcome. They're probably, I dunno, imagining how awesome starting a family together will be..."

~0~

The smoke alarm was going off. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE WATCHING THE SPAGHETTI-OS, DEAN! YOU VOLUNTEERED TO COOK THEM!"

"I JUST SAID "I HAVEN'T HAD THESE SINCE I WAS A KID!" I DIDN'T VOLUNTEER!"

"You might want to hold off on having kids..." Bianca stated.

~0~

About half an hour later, Charlie peered out the window and saw Mr. Lightwood walking down on the sidewalk. "Hey, Cas and Dean should be home soon..." Diana went up to the window. "Oh, if they're a couple when they get back, I'm so hooking him up with that nurse from 5B..." A beam of light suddenly appeared above Mr. Lightwood. His arms reached out and he looked up. Suddenly, the light was gone. Mr. Lightwood continued walking, only a little differently.

"That's... Not good, right?"

"No, Chars. No it isn't..."

"Should we go get...?"

"Heck no! I'm just a cupid and you have no angel blade. The boys can handle it. Besides," Diana added gleefully, "this might push them further together!" She clapped.

"...Okay, NOW you're starting to scare me..."


	15. Chapter 15: Sent From Above

Cas was trying to scrape the burned and congealed bits of Spaghetti-Os from the side of the pan. Unfortunately, it seemed it wouldn't be coming off, even if Cas had his angelic powers again. "Mr. Lightwood's going to kill me..." Cas stated. "Relax, we'll pay for a new pan. Besides, he tries to kill you, I'll gank him..." Bianca looked up from the grilled cheese Dean had made her and her coloring book. "What's "gank" mean?" she asked.

Before Dean could "explain" the meaning of the word, they heard the door unlock. "Daddy!" Bianca exclaimed. Cas ran to the door to undo the chain lock. There stood Mr. Lightwood, though something about him seemed different. "Mr. Lightwood, welcome home. Bianca was well-behaved, as usual. Though I have bad news about your saucepan..." Mr. Lightwood signaled Cas to stop. "Castiel, can I talk to you in private?" He said, guiding him towards his bedroom.

Cas knew something was wrong. He'd never told Mr. Lightwood his full name. He swiped a marker from off the table and exchanged a look with Dean. Dean nodded. "Hey, Bianca, don't you have, i don't know, kindergarten to get to?" "Oh yeah!" She said, and scurried out of the apartment to catch her bus. Dean discreetly pulled out the angel blade and waited for Cas and Mr. Lightwood to close the door.

~0~

"Hello, my fallen brother..." The angel possessing Mr. Lightwood said sternly. "Which one of you is it?" Cas asked, keeping his calm. "Daniel." Cas nodded. "Of course..." "We need you to come back with us..." Cas shook his head. "I can't. I was trying to help you all. Metatron deceived me. All I wanted was us all to make amends. To go back to the old days. I could help you. Metatron is the true..."

"You've caused us too much trouble, Cas..." Daniel said, shaking his head. He pulled out an angel blade and reached for Cas. Cas backed away. The man looked for something to draw blood...

Dean burst into the room and grabbed Daniel, holding the blade to his neck. "Not today, you winged dick!" Dean snarled. "Dean, don't kill him! He's still Bianca's father. I have another idea..." Cas started drawing a sigil on the wall. He cut his finger on the angel blade and touched the sigil. There was a flash of light. Suddenly, the angel seemed to change demeanor. "Cas? What is going on? Why do I feel like I've been dragged by a comet?" Mr. Lightwood said. "No time to fully explain. Sir, you have an angel inside you. He wishes to harm me. You must expel him..." Mr. Lightwood nodded. There was a flash of light and the man went limp and unconscious.

"What'd you do, Cas?" Dean asked as he hefted the man onto his bed. "I simply used a sigil to put him back in charge of his body..." Cas replied. "Shut up, you can do that!?" Cas nodded. "And you were going to share this...?" Dean prompted, raising an eyebrow. "I couldn't. I was an angel. It could affect me as well..."

Dean looked at Cas. There was a look on his face Cas hadn't seen before. Suddenly, Dean grabbed Cas's shoulders. "You know what? Screw Zeke, you're coming home with me..."

~0~

Cas had that patented confused puppy look on his face. "Dean, what do you...?"

"Look, I didn't want you to leave, you know that. I'm really glad you and Charlie get along, and you've adjusted to human life. But the angels know where you are now. They will hunt you down. I know you can handle yourself on your own, but I don't want to be worried about whether or not I'm ever going to see you again. I..."

Dean stopped himself. He knew what he was about to say. That he loved Cas. He honestly, freaking loved him. He couldn't believe it took him so long to realize it. Or that it dawned on him so suddenly. And he was okay with it. He just didn't want to scream it out yet. Besides, Cas may not be down for that...

"You're very important to me, Cas..." Dean finally said, looking straight into Cas's eyes. Cas's face softened. He nodded, putting his hands on Dean's shoulders. "You're very important to me, too, Dean..." Cas replied.

Dean knew Cas knew what he really meant.

~0~

A/N: I waited to get this done and out after the mid-season finale, since I figured we'd need it... And boy... Did we... need it... *sobs* DEEEEEEEAN! SAAAAAMMY! KEEEEEEVIIIIN! *sniffles, curls up in corner* C-carry on, my wayward companions... Cause I can't... -CH


	16. Chapter 16: All's Well

"So do you even know how to find Dorothy in Oz?" Diana asked. Charlie pulled out a piece of paper. "She gave me a map before she left..."

"Cool... And you're prepared to leave if everything works out?"

"Yup. Got a backpack all packed up in my closet..."

"Now we wait for the boys to come back..." Diana stated. "Soooo, want to take bets as to how far they got?" Charlie rolled her eyes. She was quickly realizing why she didn't hang out with Diana a lot. She liked shipping, but some people just got obsessive about it.

They heard Cas's key in the lock. The former angel and Dean walked into the apartment, arms around each others' shoulders. Diana looked like she was going to explode into a puddle of rainbows and squeeing. "Hello, Charlie. Did you sleep well?" Cas asked. "Yeah, fine. You two okay?"

"Of course. We ran into trouble with one of my brothers, but we managed to defeat and expell him without killing Mr. Lightwood..." Cas replied. "Hey, Charlie, I know you and Cas are friends now and stuff, but I was wondering if you'd be okay if I took Cas back to stay with me…" Dean asked, pulling Cas a little closer to him.

Charlie smiled. "It's fine with me. You okay with this, Cas?" Cas looked at Dean and smiled. "Yes. I am very okay with this..." Diana got up. "Well, my work here is done. I'll see you all never, mates..." she said, and disappeared before their eyes. Dean and Cas blinked. "Did... Was she...?" Charlie rubbed her temples. "Relax, she wasn't out to hurt you, she was just... Over the top..."

~0~

The three of them stood in front of the front door to Charlie's apartment. Charlie had all her things and the key to Oz in the door's lock. "So you're really going?" Dean asked. Charlie nodded. "Time for my adventure to begin..." Dean hugged her goodbye. "Well, good luck. Hopefully we'll see you again..." Dean said.

"Thank you, Charlie, for allowing me to stay with you. You are a good friend." Cas said, hugging her goodbye as well. "You're welcome, Cas. I was happy to have you around. You're a good friend, too. Take care of Chewy for my, kay?" Cas nodded, picking the stuffed animal up. "I will." "Thanks."

She opened the door, the scape of Oz replacing the interior of the familiar apartment. She pulled the key out and headed in. "By the way, you two are lucky to have each other!" she said, and closed the door as she entered Oz, heading for her adventure at last.

~0~

After hours of driving, Dean and Cas were walking through the bunker. Both were tired. "Hey, Cas..." Dean asked. "Yes, Dean?" "You said you knew you were in Heaven a while that night I called you..." "Yes. I'd never experienced my own heaven before. It was surreal..."

"What was your heaven?"

Cas nearly blushed. "It wasn't long, but… It was The Pizza Man... And spending time with you..."

Dean couldn't help it. He smiled, then grabbed Cas by the waist and kissed him. Cas grabbed Dean's outer shirt and reciprocated.

"Well, I hitchhiked my way back, got the crap beaten out of me by some of Abbadon's demons, and somehow stopped a bunch of smugglers, but I'm..." Sam said aloud. Then saw his brother and his friend kissing, and was shocked. The angel briefly took over. "Dean, I have told you..."

"Bite me, Zeke..." Dean said.

The angel retreated, putting Sam back in charge. "Um.. I'm going to check on Crowley... Or Kevin... Or something..." "It's best you go do that, Sam." Cas said.

The two returned their attentions back to one another. "Welcome home..." Dean said against Cas's lips, and continued to kiss him in utter bliss. And for once, the world didn't feel so bad.

~0~

A/N: And that is it. I'm sorry, all good things must come to an end, and I feel that's a good way to wrap it up. It's been fun. Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and enjoying this! You're awesome, and I'm glad I entertained you, lovelies! ^_^ Carry on, my wayward companions! -CH


End file.
